If you ask me, eggs are one of the most perfect foods. They're budget-friendly, protein-packed, have a relatively long life in the fridge, and are so, so versatile. And while there are a ton of creative new ways to eat eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it's worth mastering the basics before you go nuts with lemon curd and hollandaise and mayo from scratch.

My favorite way to eat eggs…depends on the day. Some mornings, a simple scramble is the best possible breakfast. Other days, I'm craving a thick piece of bread and want a fried egg on top so that I can use the yolk for dipping. Then, there are weeks when I know that it doesn't matter what I want, because all I'll have time for in the morning is to grab a slice of already-cooked frittata out of the fridge (sometimes there's time for the microwave, other times not even that).

There are thousands of egg recipes out there, and hundreds of slight variations on each classic egg preparation, whether it be in the recipe or the technique. Here are the 11 most essential ways you can cook an egg, along with what I think is the best technique for each. Once you've mastered them all, the sky's the limit!

Creamy, fluffy scrambled eggs.

Making scrambled eggs is easy. Making excellent scrambled eggs is…well, still pretty easy, but a little bit trickier. Beat them thoroughly before cooking, use enough butter, and be patient and attentive while you cook them over medium-low heat.

An egg over easy, without cracking the yolk.

Over easy eggs (when both sides of the egg get cooked, but the yolk is still runny) are a crowd favorite, but it can be tough for beginner cooks to flip their eggs without breaking the yolks. With a nonstick pan, enough oil, and a good spatula, you should be good to go. For over medium or over hard eggs, leave the egg in the pan for a few minutes longer after you flip.

Some kind of tomatoey baked egg situation.

The best part about a baked egg dish like shakshuka is that you basically heat leftover tomato sauce and maybe some vegetables in a skillet, crack in a couple eggs, and let the whole thing cook itself in the oven while you make coffee (or mimosas), read the newspaper, or do whatever else you'd rather be doing in the morning than standing over a stove making breakfast.

A batch of hard-boiled eggs to keep in your fridge.

There are many different ways to hard-boil an egg. This one, from the late, great Gourmet, is my go-to. Shaking the pan at the end so that the egg shells crack will save you a little trouble when you get to peeling.

A poached egg (four ways, depending on your skill level).

Poaching is admittedly trickier than other egg preparations, but it's also the most impressive. Poached eggs are great on sandwiches, salads, and pasta, and if you want perfect poached eggs without having to spend time honing your skills, there are things you can buy that will make it easier. But you should totally keep practicing your gentle-whirlpool-classic-poach technique on the side. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to impress every breakfast guest forever.

A cheesy, veggie-filled frittata.

Frittatas are great because they make an impressive brunch dish, but also work as something to make on a Sunday and eat as leftovers throughout the week. You can use almost any vegetable and any cheese, and I recommend switching that up based on both what's in season and what's about to go bad in your fridge.

A fried egg with crispy edges and a runny yolk.

The trick here is to baste the egg whites (if you're unsure about how to do it, there's a video in the recipe below to guide you), to help the top of the egg cook quickly enough that the yolk doesn't set. It solves the annoying problem of the slightly-too-jiggly white you sometimes end up when you're cooking a fried egg and aren't brave enough to flip it for over-easy.